Gang grip on Port-au-prince spurs new wave of street vendors, Haitian men selling cooked rice

PORT-AU-PRINCE—As dawn breaks in the bustling streets of downtown Port-au-Prince, Dieufort Dassilien is the first in his house to wake up. He lights the fire, prepares the dishes, gathers the necessary ingredients, and starts cooking the food he intends to sell. Dassilien is a street vendor of rice and peas, a staple dish in Haiti. Like many other young men, he has entered this economic activity traditionally practiced by women because, for him, joining an armed gang or relying on charity was never an option.

“We prefer being on the streets daily rather than joining a gang. At least this way, we can buy a loaf of bread when needed,” Dassilien said. “Though we can’t go to certain areas, that won’t stop us from selling.”

At 35, Dassilien is a father of three who ventured into the business of selling cooked food in 2023. Before this, he worked as a construction laborer. His life took a drastic turn when gang violence forced him to flee his home during a horrific gang attack in the Port-au-Prince quarters of Grand Ravine and Carrefour-Feuilles in August 2023.

With no one to turn to, Dassilien decided to start such a business to support his family. “In the capital, if you don’t create a way to live, no one will do it for you,” Dassilien told The Haitian Times, sitting behind his wheelbarrow in Champs-de-Mars. “No leader knows we exist. We are on our own to fend for ourselves, finding a way to survive,” he added.

As Haitian economic calamities worsened with escalating gang violence, starting the business wasn’t easy for Dassilien. He had to gather the necessary equipment bit by bit. 

First, he bought a large boiler without a cover for about 4,000 Gourdes or $30 (USD), and later, he managed to buy a wheelbarrow. With three large pots of cooked rice, he conducted his first market test. “All went well,” he confided.

Since the success of that first test, Dassilien’s wheelbarrow, stacked with cooked rice and a small bucket of vegetables, has become a common sight in the Champs-de-Mars area of downtown Port-au-Prince daily.

Dassilien is not alone; the business attracts many 

This has become a new phenomenon. Many young men are selling cooked food on the streets of Port-au-Prince, a role traditionally held by women. Female vendors usually carry their boilers on their heads or push wheelbarrows, moving from neighborhood to neighborhood. However, the escalating insecurity, which exacerbated economic conditions for most, has driven young men into this trade, offering them an alternative to gang life.

Haiti is enduring an unprecedented security crisis exacerbated by gang violence. From attacks in impoverished neighborhoods to assassinations and kidnappings, the criminal acts of gangs affect everyone. The police, despite their efforts, seem overwhelmed. Led by Kenya and tasked to assist Haiti in the fight against gangs, the Multinational Security and Support (MSS) mission authorized by the UN Security Council in October 2023 has yet to be fully deployed and operational on the ground. 

According to UNICEF, around 600,000 people, half of whom are children, have been displaced by gang violence. Several companies, especially in the textile sector, have shut down, resulting in a 52% job loss over three years. According to the Haitian Institute of Statistics and Informatics (IHSI), inflation reached 27.3% in April.

Almost all sectors of Haiti’s economy are affected by insecurity, which is highly profitable for gangs. They operate several checkpoints, earning between $6,000 and $8,000 (USD) daily. They hijack cargo containers and extort businesses, demanding between $5,000 and $20,000 (USD) weekly. Kidnapping has become an industry, generating millions annually, reported the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime in February 2024.

In this context of insecurity, young men like Dassilien are trying to make a living with their boilers and wheelbarrows. They are now visible everywhere in downtown Port-au-Prince, near the international crossroads, on the Delmas highway, in Pétion-Ville, and public markets.

Small steps toward the dream of owning a business

Unlike Dassilien, Luckson Duclair entered the cooked food-selling business through a contract with someone who provided the necessary means and materials. He works six days a week, earning one sales day per week while the contracting party takes the remaining five.

Duclair, 32, has a 6-year-old child. He sent his wife and daughter to the provinces and moved from Kenscoff to Pétion-Ville. Before joining this business in December 2023, he used to sell soft drinks. But that venture failed due to a lack of electricity to help keep the drinks cool and increasing insecurity fueled by gangs in his town.

“We don’t want to end up like some young people who turn to crime,” he told The Haitian Times. “That’s why we chose to sell cooked rice. “Working for someone else, we have to take to the streets to fend for ourselves, hoping to one day own our own business.”

The lowest price Duclair sells a dish for is 100 Gourdes, which equates about $0.76 USD. 

Merchants often accompany rice with sauce or vegetables stored in a five-gallon bucket. They start early in the morning. By noon, some are sold out, while others continue until around 5-6 p.m. because sales can be slow at times, they said.

For many, it’s a long and dangerous trip by foot to reach customers.

Every day, Duclair travels five miles from Pétion-Ville to Champs-de-Mars, near the National Palace, pushing his wheelbarrow. The journey is often arduous, especially with the country’s critical situation and rampant gunfire.

Imported rice dominates the market

Imported rice is highly favored in Haiti’s street food market. Vendors usually buy a 110-pound bag of American rice for around 4,000 Gourdes or $30 (USD).

We prefer being on the streets daily to make ends meet rather than joining a gang. At least this way, we can buy a loaf of bread when needed.”

 Dieufort Dassilien, Street vendor of cooked rice and peas.

Rice is the top imported product in Haiti, ahead of petroleum, palm oil, knitted fabrics and meat. Haiti is the second-largest market for U.S. rice after Mexico and Japan, with nearly 90% of the rice consumed in Haiti coming from the U.S.

It’s a staple in the Haitian diet. In 2020, according to a University of Michigan study on arsenic pollution in American rice sold in Haiti, Haitians consumed approximately 187 pounds of rice per capita annually, a significant increase from 146 pounds in 2010.

The prevalence of imported rice underscores the struggles of local rice production in Haiti. A 2012 study published by Haiti’s Ministry of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Rural Development (MARNDR) detailed various challenges in Haiti’s rice-producing sector. Inadequate drainage, shortage of quality seeds, irregular supply of chemical fertilizers, scarcity and high cost of agricultural labor and lack of motorized equipment are among the issues plaguing local production.

Farmers in the northeast said that efforts, led in Ouanaminthe with the realization of an irrigation canal project on the Massacre River near the border with the Dominican Republic, have yielded increased rice production in the region this year. However, they have faced distribution channel challenges due to a lack of reliable infrastructure, insecurity in Port-au-Prince and part of the Artibonite Department and stiff competition, particularly from the influx of Dominican rice.

Despite these challenges, street vendors like Dassilien and Duclair continue to push forward, finding ways to survive and hope for a better future amid insecurity.

“I hope for change so everyone can make money with their goods and improve their lives,” Duclair said.

The post Gang grip on Port-au-prince spurs new wave of street vendors, Haitian men selling cooked rice appeared first on The Haitian Times.

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Gang grip on Port-au-prince spurs new wave of street vendors, Haitian men selling cooked rice was first posted on July 18, 2024 at 9:36 am.